Last fall, Manzanita became the fifth city in the state (joining Portland, Corvallis, Eugene, and McMinnville) and the first on the Oregon Coast to ban single-use plastic carryout bags. The Manzanita City Council voted unanimously to pass the ordinance in an effort to reduce plastic debris on beaches and in the Pacific Ocean.

“As the first coastal community in Oregon to ban single-use plastic bags, Manzanita is a leader, taking action on an issue important to its residents that will inspire other coastal communities impacted by plastic pollution,” says Linda Kozlowki, Manzanita City Council President.

Plastics pollution has a direct and deadly effect on ocean wildlife, says the Center for Biological Diversity. “Thousands of seabirds and sea turtles, seals and other marine mammals are killed each year after ingesting plastic or getting entangled in it. Endangered wildlife like Hawaiian monk seals and Pacific loggerhead sea turtles are among nearly 300 species that eat and get caught in plastic litter.”

Read more at Salem Weekly